IHCBA demands govt’s resignation over inflation

The Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) has demanded resignation of the incumbent government, saying that it has brought a storm of inflation when it came to “power through staging anti-inflation marches and setting the worst example of looting and horse trading”.

According to a resolution issued by the IHCBA bearing the signatures of President Shoaib Shaheen and Joint Secretary Muhammad Sohail Khurshid Gujjar, “Electricity, gas and petrol bombs dropped on the people are nothing less than torment.”

The resolution stated that the government desecrated the veil and the wall, arrested all citizens, including lawyers, tortured, humiliated, and vandalized them and their properties, as well as tried to end their personal cases by changing the investigating officers and prosecutors of FIA and NAB.

“They made arbitrary amendments in NAB and election laws, brought civil and government employees under the ISI and created more hatred in civil and military institutions.”

In this regard, the IHCBA Executive Committee empowered President Shaheen to challenge unconstitutional measures and provisions in accordance with the law, while the resolution rejected “all such illegal measures”.

The IHCBA strongly condemned the incumbent federal and Punjab governments, demanding their resignations.

The IHCBA also demanded that in this worst-case scenario of inflation, all privileges, including free petrol and protocol, given to the president, prime minister, chief ministers, all ministers, parliamentarians, judges, generals as well as civil and military institutions be eliminated. It also demanded imposition of a complete ban on their trips abroad.

“If a labourer, who earns Rs20,000 to Rs25,000 per month, affords expensive petrol and gas then the elites have no right to impose unnecessary burdens on the people by getting concessions from the people's taxes.”

The IHCBA demanded that all small and big vehicles at the disposal of government institutions be auctioned, all kinds of food be banned, and the rulers should pay billions of rupees in the name of security from their pockets.

“Unnecessary government advertisements which are given only for the benefit of media owners should be stopped and their bills should be taken out of the pockets of the rulers.

“If the property of any member of national and provincial assembly, or government official is out of the country, they should be held accountable and they should be compelled to keep all kinds of properties in Pakistan so that their patriotism is with this country otherwise they should be disqualified.”

The resolution also said that the IHCBA appreciated the Supreme Court of Pakistan for taking suo motu notice and issuing restraining orders to the investigation officers of the FIA as well as the ECL and providing protection to lawyers and all citizens on the bar’s constitutional request.